Page 15 - ELG1805 May Issue 457

EU special .
SPECIAL FEATURE

Into the

Unknown

The only thing that is certain about
Brexit, is that everything is uncertain,
writes Melanie Butler

Centre his time next year, Britain will remain very high. This is not only about the of schools in Ireland, Malta, the UK and
Brazil Ministry no longer be a member of the technology, but about the pedagogy it uses. now Cyprus. This means the agents put in
Manager Esol European Union. Right now, that is Meanwhile the demand for English charge of placing the students on behalf of
General UK students National Tall we really know for sure. language exams remains high, as governments and state schools are asking
Will Britain remain a member of
Senior College Erasmus? Will EU students still be able to LanguageCert’s Henry Tolley reveals in his ever higher commission rates.
country by country analysis on page 18. He
So what happens if, after Brexit,
ELT Russia University Deputy study at UK universities for local prices? highlights the growing government support European governments treat the UK as
teacher State Spain Language Will English even remain an EU working for the use of language tests – and language a third country, like the US? This would
Trainer China teacher Lecturer language? travel programmes like the Pon. then lead them to channel the state-funded
After all, the official language of Malta is
Not, however, that government-funded
language travel courses to the remaining
France British Council Maltese, while for Ireland it’s Irish. With no three countries. Although Ireland is the
Department Mexico monolingual English-speaking countries left largest EFL destination per capita, it is
Head Deputy UAE Germany Academic in the Union, won’t French and German What we do know is too small to take the overflow. Malta and
Australia Project Specialist grab the opportunity to dump the language? Cyprus are even smaller.
It’s all too early to tell.
The supply of schools for government
College Ielts Italy What we do know is that so far there has that so far there has programmes would plummet and unless
ELLs English Japan Adviser been no decrease in demand for English been no decrease in demand drops too, language schools would
Turkey General Rector language courses in Europe. Nor for courses demand for English find themselves able to command much
taught in English.
higher prices from agents.
Agency Director Argentina The number of EU students applying language courses in Could the same thing happen with the
Professor Faculty Supervisor to study at degree level in the UK actually Europe. Nor for courses supply of native speaker teachers?
If Brexit means British teachers are
went up two per cent this year, although as
we report on page 17, to judge by internet taught in English subject to the same visa restrictions as those
searches there is a lot less interest going currently in place for non-EU citizens,
forward. surely fewer young Brits will fancy a couple
On page 22, the British Council’s courses are as popular as you might expect of years teaching in Madrid or Milan? After
Chris Brandwood confirms that there is with language school owners in English- all, they can make twice as much money in
no evidence of a decline in English for speaking countries, as we reveal on page 16. China or Vietnam.
education or for work, although there Not only do governments expect Possibly. But as Declan Carey points out
is a decline in the number of school age the height of luxury when it comes to on page 24, there are already nearly as
children across the continent.
accommodation but they have stringent
many Americans as Brits working in the
What the British Council has found is an
Who reads the ? increased level of interest in technology- requirements about class sizes, classroom Czech Republic. Some countries, it seems,
offer such a great way of life, and it is so
hours and, in the case of the Pon, exam
driven solutions to English language
To make matters worse, there is a surplus
learning needs, although the dropout rates pass rates. easy to get work, that teachers will flock
there, whatever the visa restrictions.
14 May 2018 editorial@elgazette.com 15